Gravity-actuated figure toy



Dec. 19, 1944. (1 CROGGON 2,365,522

GRAVITY-ACTUATED FIGURE TOY Filed March 28, 1944 Patented Dec. 19, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT O FFI CE 2,365,522 GRAVITY-ACTUATED FIGURE TOY Owen'F. Croggon, Hyattsvi'lle, Md. Application March 28, 1944, Serial No.:528-,4i65

4 Claims. .(01. 46-219) The invention relates to figure'toys of the type adapted to move down an inclined way in rocking-and sliding step-by-step movements produced by shifting of the center of gravity of the-device from one side to the otherof the plane of a shifting point of support provided by a pendulous supporting element oscillatably carried by the body 'of the toy. p

One of the objects of the invention is to provide an improved yet simple construction where- "by the movements of the oscillatory supporting element may be utilized to impart movements to a member simulating some Well known object appropriate to the particular toy involved.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved construction whereby tendency of the toy to deviate from a straight line'of travel down the incline may be substantially prevented.

'With the-above and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the novel details of construction and the novel combinations and arrangements of parts more fully hereinafter disclosed and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification, in which like reference characters designate like parts throughout the views:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a typical form of toy constructed in accordance with the invention, illustrating the same in position to begin a course of travel down an inclined way;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the toy shown in Fig. 3 is a side elevational view of the toy, with one of the side plates removed;

Fig. 4 is a vertical cross sectional view, taken approximately on the plane indicated by theline 4-4 of Fig. 3, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Figs. 5, 6 and '7 are side elevational views similar to Fig. 3 and more or less diagrammatic, and illustrating the several positions assumed by the parts in a cycle of operation; and

in which the members ll of "the pendulous supporting element referred to above may oscillate. The said members "I 1, which may be formed of fiber board, plywood, or "the like, are rigidly carried by a spindle 18 journalled ina transverse bore 1 -9 provided ;in the block l5. The members I! have arcuate lower surfaces adapted for rolling engagement with the surface of an inclined way or ramp 2| and the lower portions of the said members are rigidly connected by a transverse pin 22 which is adapted to oscillate about the axis of the spindle I8 within a transverse recess 23 formed in the lower-portion-of the block [5. As will be readily understood, engageseveral toys of this type which have been here- 'tofore proposed, such for example as those disclosedin prior U. S. patents, No. 1,154,088, granted September 21, 1-915, and No. 1,608,648, granted November 30, 1926. However, in allsuch prior toys of which I am aware the members corresponding'to the abovedescribed members I 'l have been disposed laterally beyond the side faces of the body member, such as 15, and wholly unpro tected; and experience has shown that under the rough treatment commonly accorded such toys by the young children for whom they are usually purchased, such supporting members are very soon completely broken or so damaged as render the toy inoperative.

'In the present instance, with the members I! disposed and operable in the rebates l6, side plates 25, conveniently of fiber board, plywood or the like, are secured to the side 'faces of the block 15 by adhesive or by metallic fastenings such as screws or nails 26, and as will be clear from the drawing the pendulous supporting elements are thus substantially completely housed and protected against damage, whereby of the toy may be materially lengthened.

To carry out the simulation of the toy to the machine or object it is supposed to represent, additional simulatory members'are preferably provided. In the illustrated toy, a block 30 representing a tank turret is secured to the top surface of ,the body member l5, which block carries a short piece of dowel pin 3| representing a cannon barrel. Further, a member 32 is mounted in a bore 33 extending downwardly from the top the life surface of the body l5 to one of the rebates Hi, the projecting portion of the member 32 simulating an upwardly pointed gun barrel.

Since it is well recognized that movement is attractive to children, provision is made to impart movement to the member 32 from and in response to the movements of the oscillating supporting element. To this end the member 32 is slidably mounted in the bore 33 and the member I! of the supporting element is formed with a shoulder 34 upon which the lower end of the member 32 rests, as Will be clear from Fig. 3. Thus, as the toy makes its first movement down the ramp or way 2|, from the position shown-in Fig. 5 to that shown in Fig. 6, the counterclockwise movement (as viewed in the drawing) of the member II will cause the shoulder 34 to push the member 32 upwardly in the bore 33, thereby projecting the said member further above the top surface of the body, as shown in said Fig. 6. However, as the toy overbalances and rocks forwardly in the well known manner (and as is depicted in Fig. '7) whereby the pendulous supporting element is raised out of contact with the ramp surface and permitted to swing back to its initial position, the member 32 will also return to its original position. Since the member 32 is not positively connected to the pendulous element the return movement or" the said member is effected gravitationally and the member 32 therefore is preferably relatively heavy. In practice an ordinary wire nail, with its point out or ground off, has been found satisfactory. The nail head 35, which engages the shoulder 34 and operates in the rebate I6, of course prevents the member 32 from falling out of the bore 33 should the toy be inverted.

Instead of imparting rectilinear movement to the member 32, the movements of the pendulous supporting element may be employed to produce oscillating movements of such a member. For example, as shown in Fig. 8, the member I! may be provided with a notch or recess 40 which receives the lower end of a member 4| pivotally mounted as at 42 in an upward extension l6 of the rebate 16. Thus, as the supportin element moves back and forth between the full and broken line positions illustrated in said figure, the spaced shoulders 43 provided by the sides of the notch 40 alternately move the member 4| back and l forth on its pivot 42, as indicated.

In addition to aifording protection to the oscillating supporting element, the side plates 25 also furnish means whereby straight line travel of the toy down the ramp may be the better secured.

That is to say, in the prior ,toys of this character lacking such side plates, it frequently happens that the bottom and/or forward surfaces of the body member, such as I5, are not sawed exactly perpendicular to the side faces of the block; or the bore i9 may not be truly parallel to said block surfaces. As a result, when the toy rocks as in Fig. 7 there is a tendency for it to be deflected from a straight line of travel, sometimes to such an extent that it will run off the Side of the ramp before reaching the bottom. In the present toy however, the side plates 25 are preferably out slightly larger than the block so that (as shown in Figs. 3, 4 and 8) they rather than the block provide the ramp engaging surfaces. In assembling the parts it is comparatively easy to properly line up the plates relative to one another and/or to the pendulous supporting element, whereby substantially true straight line travel of the toy down the ramp may be secured.

It will be obvious that those skilled in the art may vary the details of construction as well as the precise arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit of the invention, and therefore it is not wished to be limited to the above disclosure except as may be required by the claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a figure toy of the class described havin a rockable body member: an oscillatory supporting element carried. by said body member and provided with a shoulder; and a movable simulatory member carried by the body and engaging said shoulder, whereby movements-of said supporting element will produce movements of the simulatory member.

2. In a figure toy of the class described having a rockable body member: an oscillatory pendulous supporting element carried by said body member and having a shoulder; and a simulatory member reciprocatably mounted by the body member and engaging said shoulder, whereby oscillation of the supporting element may produce reciprocation of the simulatory member.

3. In a figure toy of the class described having a rockable body member: an oscillatory pendu lous supporting element carried by said body member and including side members, one of which is provided with a shoulder; and a gravitationally influenced simulatory member reciprocatably mounted by the body member and having a portion resting upon said shoulder, whereby movement of the supporting element in one direction may positively elevate the simulatory member, such member being returned by gravity upon movement of the supporting element in the other direction. r

4. In a figure toy of the class described having a rockable body member: an oscillatory supporting element carried by said body member and including side members, one of which is provided with a pair of spaced shoulders; and a simulatory member osoillatably mounted on the body member and having a portion disposed between said shoulders, whereby-oscillation of the supporting element may produce corresponding oscillation of the simulatory member.

OWEN F. CROGGON. 

